The Straight Lead: The Core of Bruce Lee's Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do

Teri Tom is to be congratulated for writing a thought provoking and detailed book. Simply put, this is a book about punching, footwork, and much more. Punching or striking in any style is a fundamental skill. Teri's book is about the lost art of generating power in punches by punching in a straight line rather than generating power with a hooking motion. Punching with a straight lead also delivers the punch with minimal distance to travel, less telegraphing, greater speed, and more power especially when the shoulders do not overtake the body's center of gravity One of my favorite example of this is Bruce's 1 inch punch demonstration. Examine his feet, hips and shoulders as he demonstrates the 1 inch punch. If you pause the video between 0.18 and 0.19 you'll see his left knee straighten, but watch his shoulders not overtake his front foot. You can see it again at 0.37 on the video. […] (You fans of the 1 and 3 inch punch will also probably notice that his right heel comes off the floor after the punch is delivered.) Teri Tom exposed me to a side of Bruce Lee I didn't know. I have read that he studied Savate, Fencing, Boxing, etc. Teri Tom showed me how his study of Fencing and Boxing shows up in the way he taught his students to punch with their dominant arm. For example Bruce studied the writings of famous fencer Aldo Nadi as he was developing his ideas about stance and movement. He studied the way boxer Jack Dempsey delivered punches and read Dempsey's book Championship Fighting, Punching and Aggressive Defense. Dempsey's book explored in detail the question of generating power. Which delivers more power in a strike: a wildly thrown hook punch or a well-timed straight lead punch? Dempsey and Lee both favor the latter over the former for many reasons--not the least of which is that the hooking punches are easier to see. I knew that Bruce was eclectic in his habit to borrow strikes and techniques from different fighting styles. One has only to watch the opening scene from Enter the Dragon to see Bruce grappling 2-4 decades before MMA came into fashion. But Teri's book introduced me to a Bruce Lee that embraced elements of Western fighting as much as he shared elements of his own with us. I'm left with a Bruce Lee that incorporated Western styles of fighting into the ways he taught forms of fighting from the Far East. To do that, Bruce Lee had to continually grow in his study of fighting far beyond the limits of his own comfort zone. In my judgment that makes him an even greater teacher and example than before. I realize that I have again underestimated Bruce's contribution to Martial Arts and to Fighting. I am thankful to Teri for revealing that side of Bruce to us. Fighters of any style and skill level can benefit from good fundamental punching skills. Teri should be commended for reminding us of the importance of good basics especially in punching.

Over the years there has been a steady barrage of books published about Bruce Lee and his unique fighting system of Jeet Kune Do. As someone who was seriously involved in numerous martial and weapon arts (Karate-Do, Judo, Jujitsu, American Combatives, Krav Maga, Kenjutsu, Wakizashi-jutsu, Kobudo, Law Enforcement defensive tactics, PR-24 Police Baton and straight baton) for more than 50 years I have always admired Bruce Lee and read everything I could find on him and his fighting art of Jeet Kune Do. One book on Jeet Kune Do I had not read until recently is The Straight Lead: The core of Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do by Teri Tom. Having read countless books and articles on Jeet Kune Do, even being shown some basics of the fighting art from a student of Jeet Kune Do I thought I was fairly knowledgeable on this system; however, reading this book really enlightened me on the simple yet complex at the same time Jeet Kune Do’s straight lead punch/strike. Many people assume that because Jeet Kune Do is known for its simple and direct strikes it is an easy art to master. This wonderful book is a book that explains that there are numerous details and coordination involved in performing Jeet Kune Do’s straight lead punch/strike. This book also explores some of the outright lies and misconceptions surrounding the development of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee. The author, Teri Tom criticizes and pulls the rug out of some of the many myths which I also believed before reading this book. Since I am limited by several medical issues and age, I could only practice the straight lead technique in my pool and I found it to be a very challenging technique when putting all the details together in training. If you are seeking a realistic and authentic Jeet Kune Do lesson this is a must book to have in your personal library. It is a fantastic read. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical principles of the most effective Combatives systems).

I first purchased (from Amazon!) this around March 2007. I had been training JKD & Wing Chun around 8 years at that point. Both mainly in private lessons for a few years at that point & onwards to today. I had come across the Straight Lead in SiJo Lee’s writings and the writings of his students, as well as the excellently compiled books by John Little. However, I kept getting the Straight Lead either confused with a Jab or was just not getting it. And then Ms. Tom’s excellent book came out. It is extremely well-written and researched. With EXCELLENT footnotes. She breaks down the mechanics & principles flawlessly. It not only helped me understand the Straight Lead, but helped develop one that can rock a 100lb.-150lb. heavy bag. (Last I checked at least). After reading this and working on the mechanics, the Straight Lead went from something I rarely used, to a technique that is a go-to along with the Straight Blast whenever I am truly concerned in combat. Thank you again Ms. Tom for your excellent research & contributions to Jeet Kune Do and martial arts. They are highly valued.

After reviewing the book, I would have to say it is not bad. However, there are some errors in in the book that should have been addressed. Some of the Wing Chun comparisons she explains relative to JKD are wrong. Practical Wing Chun applications are very effective in the streets, and it does not look like the sterotypical view of Wing Chun as shown in some of the figures but more like effective street fighting. Her example traps are not a good example of good trapping. If she were to try her theories of trapping against a proficient Wing Chun person, she would be in trouble. Also, she should have stayed away from the politics of Jeet Kune Do. The only people really qualified to define what is JKD is the Lee family. As for the rest of the book, it was in line with what I was taught about JKD from Ted Wong and others that had actually learned under Bruce Lee. The reminder of the importance of foot work is the core of JKD is very true. If you can't move good, you can't hit, punch and evade good. Too bad a lot of martial artists don't practice more foot work and more practical sparring to determine what works and does not work.

I HAVE HAD THE "STRIGHT LEAD" SINCE ITS PUBLICATION AND HAVE READ THE BOOK MORE THAN SEVEN TIMES. IT IS THROUGH THE UNTIRING EFFORTS OF TERI TOM AND THE TRUE TEACHINGS OF JFJKD ARE SAVED FROM EXTINCTION. THE BOOK IS WELL RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN, USING BRUCELEE'S OWN NOTES AND REFERENCE MATERIALS.THE STRIGHT LEAD IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A MERE "JAB" IT IS A KNOCK OUT PUNCH THAT STANDS ALONE ABOVE ALL OTHER TECHNIQUES IN JFJKD. IT IS SIMPLE, DIRECT AND IN YOUR FACE. THE MECHANICS OF THIS PUNCH ARE QUITE SIMPLE, BUT HARD TO ACHIEVE WITHOUT DEDICATED PRACTICE. IT WILL THE AVERAGE MARTIAL ARTIST 3 TO 6 MONTHS TO GET A GRIP ON IT, HENCE THE REASON MANY WHO PRACTICE JKD JUST DON'T GET IT. MOST PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE MOST POWERFULL KICKS IN MARTIAL ARTS ARE THE "FLYING KICKS" OR "JUMP KICKS". THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE LAWS OF PHYSICS OF MASS AND ACCELERATION. IF THE BODY MOVES FORWARD AND GRAVITY PULLS DOWNWARD THIS CREATES POWER. THE STRIGHT LEAD IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF MODERN SCIENCE AND ART COMBINED. ONE CAN SAY THAT "FLYING PUNCHES" HAVE THE POWER TO K.O. THE OPPONENT BECAUSE OF THE FORWARD MOMEMTUM AND POWER OF THE PUSH OFF FOOTWORK.THERE ARE MANY WHO CLAIM TO BE ABLE TO DO THE STRIGHT LEAD, BUT I HAVE YET TO SEE IT IN PRINT OR ON VIDEO. IT IS HARD FOR SOME TO MAKE A CHANGE AFTER REPEATING THE SAME MISTAKE FOR OVER 30 YEARS. JUST ADMIT YOU HAVE BEEN MIS-GUIDED, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, IT HAPPENED TO ME BUT I WAS OPEN TO CHANGE AND FINALLY SAW THE LIGHT. I UNDERSTAND THE MECHANICS OF THE STRIGHT LEAD, AND THE FOOTWORK, IT WILL TAKE YOU SOME TIME....IF YOU PRACTICE, YOU WILL GET IT! BRUCE LEE ONLY LEFT A ROADMAP TO JKD IN HIS NOTES.TERI TOM LEAVES A GPS SYSTEM. HOW MUCH SIMPLER CAN IT GET.DR. RICK LENGYELJFJKD INSTRUCTOR UNDER BILL MATTUCCISTUDENT OF TED WONG

Ms Tom has a real abilty to make technical material enjoyable to read and at the same time intelligble to the non scientist. What you have here is pure research at its best . This book covers every detail of JKD's primary tool and does so w/ clarity and step by step pictures. Ms Tom has spent over 1000 Hours training w/ Ted Wong (Bruce Lee's close friend and private student) and the wealth of her experince w/ Sifu Ted is clear in this book . This books doesn't Try to be the Complete JKD Bible ...What it does cover though it does so thoroughly w/ documentation photos and great writing.. This book even shows (Correctly I might add) the physics of JKD!!!The book shows you why The Front Hand Lead is the most essential tool in JKD and all of JKD is built upon it ! I applaud Ms Tom's efforts and look forward to more of her written contributions to JKD. It is past time for good material such as this book to come out and clear up the mess made by people quick to cash in on the Name Jeet Kune Do at the expense of the true art JKD.

Teri Toms, did an amazing work. It is masterfully detailed in the technical, mechanical, science of the REAL----> "JUN FAN JEET KUNE DO", as taught by Bruce Lee to Ted Wong and then to Teri Toms. Thank you for this invaluable work. Interesting to see Bruce Lee researched Aldo Nadi (fencer), Jim Driscoll and Jack Dempsey ( both Boxers), writings of others, Bruce Lee paraphrasing those writers in a sense. The information presented is completely and fully understandable. The amount of research put into this publication is a tremendous, yet expressed in a direct manner that one can grasp it all. Thank you for clearing up of the confusion of the many different jkd's being taught today. Had I not read your book I would have gone on to believe they are what Bruce Lee taught. Not kali, not concept, not 27 different arts, not the progressive combat arts. I appreciate that Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee wrote a forward which helped me decide to purchase and read this book. Glad, that Bruce Lee's foundation, family were able to once again get back the martial art name: "JUN FAN JEET KUNE DO". Keep writing.

The first book on the martial arts that I ever purchased was "Bruce Lee's Fighting Method; Basic Training" back in 1978. I studied it religiously and still have that copy after all these years. It was my favorite book then and it still is. Teri Tom's book is absolutely wonderful. This book stands as an in-depth companion to Bruce Lee's Fighting Method series. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. As a long time JKd enthusiast, practitioner and instructor I found the information in "The Straight Lead" to be absolutely insightful, refreshing, wonderfully thorough and informative. I highly recommend this book it hits the mark! I even bought another copy as a Christmas present. I have to say Teri Tom put together a brilliant work on JKD. I will get her other book on JKD.

Très bon livre sur le straight lead, le coup de poing de base caractéristique du jeet kune do. Le straight lead est un élément clef dans le développement du "style" tellement personnel de Bruce Lee. Excellent ouvrage pour tout pratiquant de JKD.

The book has turned out to be an excellent interpretation of Bruce Lee's techniques. I tremendously enjoy learning from the author's keen insight into Jeet Kune Do.

Ted Wong Schule bleibt aber Original JKD und wird von der Bruce Lee Foundation akzeptiert. Sehr Gut das Buch zum Thema. Teile nicht die Meinung von einigen,dass Sie nichts kann,die hat's richtig drauf. Kaufempfehlung und locker fünf Sterne von mir Mit Respekt

As a practitioner of Wing Chun and JKD for twenty years now, I can honestly say Ive seen and read many many articles and clips on JKD...or what pertains to be JKD..when really it isn't. This book blew me away. Teri has presented a clear and direct discussion in this book, and backed it up with proper research from Bruces notes and Teds own experiences with Bruce. Teri also makes sure that the material sticks to what Bruce Lee laid down, rather than the various add ons and incarnations that have bastardized the great mans art. For make no mistake, JKD is an art that Bruce was very proud of and that he spent years refining and researching. At its core, simplicity, directness and efficiency. drawing heavily on boxing and fencing principles. Its not 'do whatever you want' or a 'mixture of 27 arts'. This book goes into great background on where Bruce pulled his ideas for the straight lead...a punch that many JKD folks cant get right. Im glad this book is out there. Bruce and Ted would be so proud. May I say, that a lot of people in the JKD circle may not like to hear that JKD is not stickfighting, nor is it MMA, or even Wing Chun. There is so much different incarnations of Bruces art out there that it is a mess. But this book is a must for anyone wanting to cut through the mess. In my opinion, it is the best JKD book out there so far. Ive read it twice and will keep reading it. Buy it!

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